Myanmar: For ALL Women and Girls: ‘Work with Us, not just for Us’, Urges Rohingya Activist

May 19, 2025 | UN Women
UN Women
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Born in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar, Lucky Karim was only 14 when genocidal violence forced her family to flee on 25 August 2017. Over seven harrowing days, she crossed mountains and rivers with her mother and two younger brothers to reach the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh—now the world’s largest refugee settlement, hosting over one million people. Her father, imprisoned by the Myanmar military, was unable to escape with them.

In the overcrowded camps, where refugees live in makeshift shelters of bamboo and tarpaulin, Karim remained determined to continue her education. “I paid for private tutoring in English and mathematics by working for humanitarian organizations”, she shared. As an interpreter and gender advocate, she bridged communication between Rohingya refugees, aid workers, and journalists.